Once Human September 16 Update: Beast Riding, Gardener Buffs and Server Merges

Once Human’s September 16, 2026 update introduces Beast Riding, overhauls animal ranching, strengthens Gardener combat and starts selected permanent server merges. There’s also a Shiny Mod transformation guarantee, combat balance changes and the final confidential pioneer test for Isles of Abyss.

The biggest catch for Beastmasters: you will temporarily be limited to one summoned animal after this update. The developers plan to restore three simultaneous summons on September 28. If you don’t have the game yet, you can find its listing on Once Human Steam.

Maintenance, rewards and download sizes

Maintenance is scheduled for September 16 at 4:00 PM PT and is expected to last about three hours. The actual server reopening time may differ. The next update is scheduled for September 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM PT.

After maintenance, all players will receive:

• Starchrom ×1,000
• Mitsuko’s Mark ×100
• Stardust Secret Crate: S14 (Epic) ×1
• Colorful Badge ×30

Approximate download sizes vary by platform:

• PS5: 9.603 GB through the launcher, plus 56 MB in-game.
• Xbox: 13.03 GB through the launcher, plus 56 MB in-game.
• PC: 7.55 GB through the launcher, plus 254 MB in-game. Delayed Steam delivery may cause duplicate downloads.
• Android and iOS: approximately 1.8 GB each.

Actual sizes may vary. The developers recommend updating over Wi-Fi.

Beastmaster overhaul: riding, summoning and animal gear

Beast Riding becomes a core ability

Beastmasters can summon animals directly and ride eligible animals. The initially supported mounts are Deer, Boar, Bear and Wild Buffalo.

You can mount unoccupied wild animals or summoned animals without saddles through an interaction. This bareback riding costs character Stamina, and you cannot start with insufficient Stamina. An unsaddled animal resists you, has restricted maximum stamina while mounted, cannot use its special abilities and will try to break free.

A saddle makes riding stable. Beastmasters can equip one from the backpack, drag it onto an animal, change it through the animal’s details or equip it while the animal is anesthetized.

While mounted, you can shoot, use melee attacks, gather, interact, use consumables and activate Deviation abilities that do not require special animations. Actions with special animations, including opening weapon crates, teleporting and switching worlds, immediately dismount you.

Summon limits change in two stages

Animal items now work directly from your backpack or hotbar: use one to summon its animal, then use it again to recall that animal. Summoning has a shared 10-second cooldown.

• After the September 16 update: Beastmasters can summon only one animal at a time.
• After the September 28 update: Beastmasters are scheduled to regain three simultaneous summons.
• Other classes: the simultaneous summon limit remains one.

The developers originally planned a permanent reduction to one Beastmaster summon, then reversed that decision following feedback. Development and testing schedules mean the reversal will not arrive until September 28.

Only adult animals with more than 20% Energy can be summoned. Summoned animals initially wait rather than automatically assisting you, and animal deaths consume Energy. Beastmasters use the Beast Whistle to command their partners.

What other classes can do

If you are not a Beastmaster, you can summon a saddled animal in the wilderness and ride it, but you cannot summon animals inside dungeons or during combat. Animals you summon do not gain combat abilities.

Only Beastmasters can craft or replace animal gear and saddles. They can trade saddled animals to other players, who can ride them and benefit from existing saddle effects but cannot change the equipment.

Mount special abilities are exclusive to Beastmasters riding with a saddle. Other classes cannot use those abilities or benefit from their effects. The activation controls are Ctrl on PC, a dedicated button on mobile and R1+X or RB+A on console.

Beast Whistle, traits and starting equipment

• Beast Partner: animals do not flee from or attack an approaching Beastmaster. You can inspect their Stats and Traits, listen to their thoughts and command summoned partners to fight or gather.
• Command restriction: you cannot command an animal more than 10 levels above your character.
• Beast Whistle consolidation: the three old whistle types become one command tool, no longer tied to an individual animal. The red whistle is renamed Beast Whistle; you can use the other two types to convert them. There is no blanket recall or distribution of whistles.
• Breeding Expert: gene items allow targeted trait modification, while breeding and exploration improve trait attribute levels. Seven attribute groups are added and two existing groups are adjusted.
• Separate mounted stats: normal animal movement-speed bonuses do not apply while mounted. Combat-state traits also do not apply to the mounted state.
• Wilderness Master: animal gear supports normal-state abilities, saddles support mounted abilities, and Beastmasters significantly reduce the weight of animals they carry.

Starting Beastmasters choose a Deer, Boar or Bear and receive a Beast Whistle and Basic Saddle. Saddle, ranching, breeding and tranquilizer throwing needle-related tech formulas are learned by default, alongside crafting formulas for tranquilizer throwing needles, animal troughs and youngling huts.

Manual feeding in the wilderness

You can manually feed a summoned animal its preferred food through an interaction. If you try to summon an animal with insufficient Energy from the backpack, the feeding interface opens automatically. Manual feeding does not apply to animals being ranched inside a territory.

Animal ranching now revolves around Energy

Tameness and Hydration are removed. Energy now governs growth, breeding, byproduct production and slaughter yields, reducing the number of stats you need to maintain.

• 80–100% Energy: efficient byproduct production, large slaughter yields, normal youngling growth and breeding eligibility.
• 20–80% Energy: normal production and growth, moderate slaughter yields and no breeding eligibility.
• 0–20% Energy: production and youngling growth pause, slaughter yields are small and breeding is unavailable.

The former Tameness-related Docile effect is replaced with increased youngling growth speed. Trait attributes unlock at levels 20, 30, 40 and 50; previously unlocked traits remain available. Mixed Meat Feed, Mixed Grain Feed and Mixed Herb Feed now increase only Energy.

The animal list gains Energy, Courtship and Breeding Cooldown icons, with clearer breeding information in animal details. Offline feeding consumes only food in animal troughs, not items dropped on the ground, and never consumes Body Boost Feed.

Animal distribution tracking is also added to World Map → Filter → Resource Tracking for every class, following the same rules as crop and ore tracking. If you want broader navigation information, our map guide covers that topic separately.

Gardener combat improves, but Planter Boxes wear out

Portable Planter Boxes containing different biomechanical crop types can now be deployed independently with separate cooldowns. This lets you field multiple types of biomechanical units at once.

The trade-off is durability. Each use consumes some durability, and when a Portable Planter Box runs out, both the box and its crops are consumed. Keep that cost in mind before relying on a heavily used box.

Grafting different crops onto the six affected biomechanical units now changes their appearance only, rather than determining their abilities. Their updated effects are:

• Biomechanical Balloon: taunts nearby units, then explodes after a delay for damage based on the target’s Max HP.
• Rainfall Reaper Biomechanical: grants a nearby Summoner a Status DMG bonus, with additional bonuses periodically.
• Flare Bulbfly Biomechanical: grants a nearby Summoner a Weapon DMG bonus, with additional bonuses periodically.
• Watcher Biomechanical: selects and petrifies an enemy within range.
• The Portal Biomechanical: shooting the Portal teleports its user back to the biomechanical unit.
• Agent Biomechanical: continuously attacks the nearest enemy using damage based on the Summoner’s Psi Intensity. Damage increases with the number of existing Agent Biomechanical units.

Item pins now distinguish boxes carrying different crops. Biomechanical Parts and Facilities also receive clearer descriptions of their functions and post-grafting effects.

Permanent server merges: which scenarios are affected?

The developers are moving ahead with merges for The Way of Winter and Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve, while holding off on Manibus and Endless Dream.

• The Way of Winter: merges during September 16 maintenance across North America, Europe, South America, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and HK & MO & TW.
• Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve: South America merges on September 17 at 05:00 server time, with completion expected within one hour. Other regions will follow in separately announced batches.
• Manibus and Endless Dream: no permanent server merges are currently planned.

You may be forcibly logged out during a merge. Character level, supplies, tech level and other character data transfer without loss, and hive relationships carry over. However, task progress resets to the destination permanent server’s current scenario challenge tasks and rewards.

For separate coverage of playing together and server selection, read our servers and multiplayer guide.

The Manibus server opening schedule in North America and Europe also changes to Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8:00. The patch does not specify a time zone for that schedule.

Isles of Abyss enters its final pioneer test

The final confidential pioneer test for Isles of Abyss starts September 16 at 9:00 PM PT and is expected to run for 22 days. Players who signed up through the earlier recruitment can switch to the pioneer server using the button in the top-left corner of scenario selection after testing begins.

The test includes the complete scenario map, with scattered islands, resource gathering, facility construction, dynamic weather, day-night cycles and environmental and enemy threats. Phase I is planned for five days and Phase II for 17 days. Those phase lengths apply only to this test, not necessarily the final release.

Combat balance and Shiny Mod protection

Treacherous Tides Set shifts toward HP-based damage

Following feedback on the previewed changes, the developers have revised the final Treacherous Tides Set adjustment:

• Two pieces: the live effect remains Weapon DMG and Status DMG +12% while HP is below 70%. The proposed reduction to 10% is not going ahead.
• Three pieces: damage now scales with current HP rather than Sanity. Weapon DMG and Status DMG start at +8% at full HP and reach +28% at 60% HP.
• Low Sanity interaction: the updated three-piece description states that low Sanity reduces Max HP by up to 60%.

The notes also confirm a four-piece Shield enhancement and a mechanics rework for MG4 – Conflicting Memories, but do not provide their complete effects or numbers in this announcement. You can find separate weapon and build coverage in our builds and weapons guide.

Sixth Shiny Mod transformation is guaranteed after five failures

After five consecutive failed Shiny Mod transformations, your sixth attempt is guaranteed to succeed. The counter starts with this update; failures from before the patch do not count.

RaidZone and Custom Server changes

RaidZone fixes layout exploits

The portable crafting icon now highlights when completed items are waiting to be collected. Design layout fixes address buildings clipping into the ground, floating houses, structures encroaching on other territories and construction bypassing the maximum height limit.

For the earlier feature rollout, we also have coverage of the September 2 update, including Portable Crafting and storage search.

Hyper Brawl launches on Custom Servers

Hosts can schedule gameplay areas, set separate stage durations and make each stage’s area fixed or moving. RaidZone Custom Server Vending Machines can list materials, tools, special items, Deviations, building settings and other items, allowing independent supply redemption points.

If you host a server, reconfigure your gameplay areas after updating: the area-setting rules have changed.

The first Hyper Brawl Open Tournament takes place in North America and Europe:

• Qualifiers: September 19–21, from 18:00 to 20:00 server time each day. Rankings use kills, with 20 qualifying spots per round.
• Finals: September 24 server time, with 60 qualifiers competing against eight mystery players for prizes and Crystgin rewards.

Registration details and full rules will follow in official announcements.

More shared cosmetics and host tools

Fashion cosmetics, weapon skins and furniture formulas obtained through official server events, blueprint collection and the normal Battle Pass version are now shared with Custom Servers. Territory collectibles, avatars, avatar frames, namecards and namecard themes are planned for a later update.

Hosts also gain server-wide Weather Control. Newly distributable items include resources from Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve, functional items such as Backpack Expansion, additional meats, Deviated Plants, wilderness furniture formulas and animals including Buck, Doe, Boar, Wild Buffalo and Bear.

Shop additions and Meta Pass payment options

September 16 arrivals

The limited-time Lightforge Loot Crate Moon That Lingers includes the Legendary Fashion Set Hollow Moon Wayfarer, Legendary Territory Collectible Floating Lantern Wishes and Epic Hype Weapon Skin Plum Blossom in Snow – SKS.

Floating Lantern Wishes lets you write on, light and release a sky lantern. Until the September 28 update, a 10-draw costs nine Lightforge Ingots, a 10% reduction.

Other Shop arrivals and returns include:

• Shadowlit Densewood Material Pack: the large pack has a limited-time 12% discount; the small expansion pack is sold separately.
• Faerie Glimmer Furniture Pack: limited-time 28% discount.
• Phantom Zero Character Set: limited-time 22% discount.
• Astral Ride vehicle skins: returning at up to 51% off, starting at 480 Crystgins per item.
• Hop Hoopla vehicle skin: returning at 50% off.
• Gilded Night vehicle skin: returning at 42% off.

September 23 arrivals

Combo Crate: Veil of Moon launches September 23 PT with the Legendary Cradle Cosmetic Veil of Moon, Epic Hype Furniture Formula Sunset Spotlight and Epic Hype Solo Action Moon’s Soliloquy, among other rewards.

You can purchase all its cosmetics together or use Blind Box draws. The announcement states that the total Crystgin price is the same for either method. Duplicate cosmetics convert to Blind Box Fragments that count toward redeeming the grand prize.

The Reunion Lantern Festival Decoration Pack returns with a limited-time 22% discount. Golden Years and Gilded Cage also return with limited-time discounts.

Meta Pass adds subscription channels

Meta Pass adds Google Play subscriptions and auto-renewal, NetEase Loading Bay in-game subscription checkout and an official website subscription entry point. Existing benefits and renewals are unaffected, and you can switch renewal channels on the Meta Pass page.

Other gameplay, performance and interface improvements

• Mobile bow auto-fire: a new First Person Mode setting makes auto-fire bows charge fully before firing.
• First Person Mode camera: switching views can now interrupt idle animations.
• PC graphics: Intel XeSS 3.0 and Frame Generation are available under Settings → Graphics → Performance → Performance Boost.
• Gravity Abyss Vision: its end date is postponed to November 18 PT.
• Abyssal Essence: additional exchange counts are added for Stardust Secret Crate·S14 (Epic) and Downstar/Aero Mod Crate·Nightmare.
• Prismverse’s Clash: Ancient One Echoite now floats if it falls into water, letting you open and collect it at the surface.
• Worldstone congestion: character collision is temporarily removed within a limited range after teleporting, switching worlds or respawning there.
• Wild Buffalo: added to Chalk Peak in Manibus, Endless Dream, Evolution’s Call and Prismverse’s Clash.
• Territory movement: collision between adjacent stair structures is improved.
• Securement Pod: you will no longer hear the Behemoth’s cries from inside the pod.
• Vehicle camera: passenger aiming while leaning out on slopes receives a more appropriate horizontal camera position.
• Advanced recycling tool: durability increases by 100%.
• Golden Shore Pool: the furniture from Summer Echoes now supports swimming.
• Interface and social: clearer Cross-Platform Rewards prompts and a more convenient console friend invitation flow.

Dungeon reward rules have not changed

Outside RaidZone, Weapon Body Liner Selection Crate is moved from the Weekly Rewards display to Challenge Rewards. This is an interface correction only: you can still obtain it once per character per week, not on every qualifying dungeon clear.

Mobile storage cleanup

If your mobile client is using an abnormal amount of storage, above 30 GB, you can run Settings → Basic Setting → Memory Optimization. The process may take 1–15 minutes. Keep the client open throughout, because manually exiting can damage it. If that happens, the developers suggest uninstalling and reinstalling.

Bug fixes

• Fixed facial features clipping through certain face accessories.
• Fixed planter skins not applying correctly to Biomechanical facilities in a territory.
• Fixed weapon scope lenses turning black while idle in First Person Mode.
• Fixed some off-screen items incorrectly remaining available for interaction in First Person Mode.
• Fixed Deviation interaction buttons appearing incorrectly in build mode.
• Fixed console settings, including sensitivity, sometimes failing to save or reverting to defaults.

Coming September 28: reshaping and hair dyeing without items

These customization changes are a preview for September 28, not part of the September 16 rollout. Facial and body reshaping and palette hair dyeing at your territory’s floor mirror will stop consuming Chrysalis Tokens or Butterfly Dyes.

• Existing Chrysalis Tokens will convert into 120 Colorful Badges each.
• Existing Butterfly Dyes will convert into 60 Colorful Badges each.
• Both items will be withdrawn from acquisition channels.
• Metamorphosis Token will drop from 880 to 300 Crystgins.

Players who purchased Chrysalis Tokens or Butterfly Dyes from the Shop with Crystgins or Colorful Badges during the three months before the September 28 update will receive a full refund of the currency spent. Qualifying Metamorphosis Token buyers will receive 70% of the price difference as a Crystgin refund; the announced price difference is 580 Crystgins per token. Compensation will arrive automatically through in-game Mail after that update.

FAQ